I was wondering, what would I want to do by way of celebration? Have a party with family and friends? A trip to a dream place I never got to visit, like the Himalayas? A present to myself of some high end gear - hot road bike or fancy skimo setup - which I could never rationally justify? No surprise, I think I would want to celebrate by climbing a mountain! Something I have not done: Shasta? Mt. Hunter? Mount Whitney? Frendo Spur? So, there are many factors to consider: for one, who would I go with? Me, and most of my contemporaries are in the - what I call - “almost a has been” category. Not exactly retired from climbing, but ghosts of what we once were. Which brings me to the conclusion of needing a guide to do this thing. Next, of course there is a serious need to evaluate my personal fitness, strength, and mobility. As a for instance, let’s take the Matterhorn as an example. I have always wanted to climb the north face. I have been to Zermatt probably a dozen times, climbing several great routes. On two occasions I was there to give the north face a go … heavy snowfall precluded both attempts. At 75 could I even make it up the standard route, the hornligrat? Really, I have no fucking idea, so a quick google search led me to the Matterhorn Fitness Test (google it) … who knew? After that, I would need to assess what level of rock climbing I would be comfortable with? Would a guide even be willing to take a 75 year old? How much would it cost? I’ll keep you updated on my evolving thoughts, and will certainly give the Matterhorn Fitness Test a shot, when I am next in Zermatt.
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